Who is Vtrim?

The Vtrim Weight Management Program is led by a dynamic team of health professionals and experts in the weight management field. In addition, all of our certified facilitators are highly-trained professionals with health-related credentials and experience.

The Vtrim Board:

• Jean Harvey-Berino, PhD, RD, Founder of Vtrim
• Cynthia Belliveau, EdD, MPA, Director, Vtrim
• Beth Casey Gold, MS, RD, Director, Corporate Programming
• Heather Leonard, RD, Director, Online Instruction

Certified Vtrim Facilitators:

• Caryn Davis, MS
• Rebecca Krukowski, PhD
• Natalie Lueders, MPH
• Doris Ogden, MS, LCMHC
• Sydney Rephan, RD
• Sally Ross-Nolan, MS
• Bethany Yon, MS

Dr. Jean Harvey-Berino, PhD, RD, Founder of Vtrim

Dr. Jean Harvey-Berino, is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences and Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Her research focuses on behavioral treatments for obesity in adults and obesity prevention in children. As the lead researcher and founder of Vtrim, a behavioral weight loss program, Dr. Harvey-Berino has conducted numerous clinical trials in obesity treatment over the past 16 years. Her current research projects include an examination of the efficacy of conducting weight loss intervention over the Internet and an investigation of changes in energy balance that might result from decreasing sedentary behavior in adults. Jean's most recent national publicity was as a recipient of the 2008 James Beard Award for "The Eating Well Diet" book.

Cynthia Belliveau, EdD, MPA, Director of Vtrim, Dean of Continuing Education at the University of Vermont

Dr. Belliveau is a faculty member in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Vermont, with a research focus in food systems; primarily on pedagogical applications in sustainability. Dr. Belliveau is the Director of Vtrim, an evidenced based behavior weight loss management program for the public developed at UVM in 16 years of clinical trials. As Dean of Continuing Education, she directs college and professional credit programming for college student and adults. Dr. Belliveau has consulted for Winrock International, US AID, and the Sri Lankan Government. She continues to teach undergraduates about food and cooking in the university Food Lab.

Beth Casey Gold, MS, RD, Director, Corporate Programming

Beth is responsible for sales and business development for Vtrim. Prior to this role, she coordinated all research studies conducted at the University of Vermont's Behavioral Weight Management Program for nine years, including research on the Vtrim Program. She worked as Director of Education and Research for eDiets.com before joining the Vtrim team. Her research at UVM compared Vtrim online to a commercial website. Her paper, (Obesity Vol. 15 No. 1 January 2007), won "Best eHealth Research Paper Award" at the 2005 eHealth Institute's annual meeting. As a Registered Dietitian, she has counseled people extensively on weight management in both a group and individual setting. She has been interviewed for articles featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Self, Fitness, Baby Talk, Cooking Light, Parents, EatingWell and DOC News.

Heather Leonard, RD, Director, Online Instruction

Heather is the Director of Online Instruction for the Vtrim Program. She manages Vtrim's Certified Facilitators and coordinates the Vtrim Facilitator training program and continuing education. She has worked for the Behavioral Weight Management Program at the University of Vermont for eight years, where she facilitates online weight-loss groups as part of a multi-center, NIH funded clinical trial. As a Registered Dietitian, Heather has vast experience in group and individual counseling for weight management, cardiovascular disease, and other health risk factors. Prior to working at the University and with Vtrim, her work experience included employee worksite health programs, chronic disease prevention, and public health promotion.